This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to an electrical connector assembly which includes a movable terminal module.
A typical electrical connector includes some form of insulative or dielectric housing which mounts a plurality of conductive terminals. The housing may be molded of plastic material, for instance, and the terminals are fabricated of metal material such as stamped and formed sheet metal material. The electrical connector is mated with another complementary mating connecting device, such as a second connector. When mated, the terminals of the two connectors interengage to establish and complete a circuit through the two mated connectors.
Most mating connectors having interengaging terminals whereby the terminals of one connector slide along the terminals of the second mating connector to establish an interengagement therebetween. For instance, one connector may have male or pin terminals which are inserted into female or socket terminals to establish a conductive interengagement therebetween. The female terminals may be simple bifurcated terminals rather than having a full terminal-receiving socket. In any event, all of these types of connectors and terminals have sliding interengagement between the terminals of the two mating connectors.
On the other hand, there are mating electrical connectors which have terminals that interengage in an abutting manner. In other words, such an arrangement is like a person forming his or her hands into fists and abutting the fists together at the knuckles, with the knuckles simulating the abutting terminals of two mating electrical connectors. In other words, the terminals do not slide into mating interengagement. With electrical connectors which have abutting terminals, the terminals of one or both connectors are yieldable and/or flexible to provide a positive engagement between the terminals of the two mating connectors. For instance, terminals may be stamped out of flat sheet metal material in a sinusoidal configuration whereby the terminal, itself, acts as a spring and can compress or move linearly upon mating. In flat pad mating systems a long linear movement of the terminals is needed to enable the latches to engage the mating connector. The sinusoidal configuration used to accommodate the long movement of the terminals makes it difficult to control the normal force between the mating terminals. In addition, considerable material is wasted in fabricating the terminals. Other attempts to provide linear movement of the terminals during mating requires the formation of the terminals as coiled springs, with the distal end of the spring acting as the contact portion of the terminal. All of these types of terminals are expensive to manufacture, use a significant amount of raw material and are not applicable for high speed applications because of the long curved signal path. Still other attempts to provide linear movement of the terminals during mating fix the terminals to a movable plate of the connector. Unfortunately, with these attempts, the terminal are fairly rigid and do not provide a good positive interengagement with the terminals of the mating connector. This invention is directed to solving this myriad of problems.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector assembly of the character described.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector assembly is designed for mating with a complementary second connector in a mating direction. A terminal module is mounted on a housing for movement relative to the housing between a projecting position and a retracted position. The terminal module includes a dielectrical module body having a front mating end which projects from the housing and a rear mounting end which mounts the module in the housing for movement between said positions. A plurality of conductive terminals are mounted on the module body and include front flexible contact ends projecting from the front mating end of the body for engaging appropriate terminal contacts of the complementary second connector. The terminals have rear terminating ends secured to the module body.
With the above structure, when the second connector is mated with the connector assembly, the contacts of the second connector engage the front flexible contact ends of the terminals and move the terminal module from its projecting position to its retracted position. In addition, the front contact ends flex to provide a good and positive contact engagement with the terminals of the second mating connector.
According to one aspect of the invention, each conductive terminal includes a base fixed in the dielectric module body. The front flexible contact end of the terminal is forwardly of the base and is joined to the base by a flexible spring arm cantilevered forwardly of the base. The front flexible contact end of each terminal has a convex configuration and presents a rounded contact surface for abutting engagement with the contacts of the second connector. The terminating end of each terminal comprises a termination arm projecting rearwardly of the base and having a conductor termination portion at the distal end thereof.
According to another aspect of the invention, biasing means are provided for biasing the dielectric module body toward its projecting position. As disclosed herein, the biasing means is provided by a coil spring sandwiched between the module body and a portion of the housing. In the preferred embodiment, the module body is elongated in a direction generally transverse to the mating direction to define opposite ends thereof. A pair of the biasing springs are sandwiched between the opposite ends of the body and portions of the housing. The housing includes a pair of interior compartments near the opposite ends of the module body within which the biasing springs are located.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the dielectric module body includes a plurality of open grooves within which the terminals are disposed. Specifically, the flexible spring arms are cantilevered forwardly within the grooves for free flexing movement therewithin, and the rounded or convexed contact ends of the terminals project out of front ends of the grooves at the front mating end of the module body.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.